Involving the Safety Advisory Group
Events are evaluated by the Safety Advisory Group (SAG). SAG is made up of many council departments and external agencies such as Kent Police, NHS, Ambulance, Kent Fire and Rescue.
The group's role is to look at proposed events taking place in Medway. The aim of the group is to fully discuss suitable arrangements that organisers have made to minimise the risk to public safety, relating to the planning and management of specific events, and to ensure compliance with the appropriate legislation.
The group will refer to the Event Safety Guide which provides basic standards and safety measures through which it is hoped to encourage a consistency of approach while leaving scope for flexibility, taking into account the nature and size of the event.
We ask event organisers to make contact in the initial stages of planning for an event so that SAG can assist and guide you in your planning. Email us at: medwayeventssag@medway.gov.uk.
What we need to know
To enable all relevant agencies to assist you in your compliance with legislation we will need to see the following documentation a minimum of 8 weeks prior to the event taking place.
Event safety plan
It is important to produce a comprehensive overview to all planning aspects and this is called an event safety plan. The constituents of the event safety plan is a working document and will need to be reviewed and updated as new information is received either before or during the event.
The plan requirements listed should be used when arranging any type of event. However, it must be remembered that events can be extremely diverse, ranging from a simple fun run, to a large carnival or festival and therefore this list cannot be considered exhaustive. It is likely that additional guidance will be required for specialist events and larger scale activities:
- contact details of organiser
- location of event and permission obtained
- type of event
- event days and times
- event outline
- event management structure
- contingency planning
- crowd management
- evacuation and emergency procedures
- communications
- traffic management
- licensing
- fire precautions
- first aid
- welfare (toilets and water)
- catering
- contractors
- temporary structures (stages and marquees)
- security
- waste management
- lighting
- noise management
- lost children and vulnerable adults
Further information is available on event considerations with links to relevant websites to help you plan and create your event safety plan.
Site Layout Plan
This plan should detail emergency evacuation access routes. It should include:
- a wet weather contingency plan for emergency service vehicle access
- the location of event control
- the location of the lost children's point
- locations of all attractions, for example stages and caterers
- locations of generators, power and water
- all important distances and measurements
- fencing and ground protection if needed
Risk Assessments
Please remember that organisers of events have a legal responsibility to ensure the Health, Safety and Welfare of any employees, volunteer helpers or contractors involved in arranging the event and to the public and participants attending. This should be ensured by carrying out a detailed risk assessment. All hazards associated with the event should be identified, the level of risk assessed and appropriate action taken to reduce these risks to an acceptable level. All events must comply with recognised safety standards and you must take all reasonable precautions to ensure the event takes place safely.
Traffic Management Plan
This plan should explain how you intend to deal with traffic issues caused by your event or the road closures you have requested. The plan will also detail what diversion routes will be put in place if necessary.
We recommend that all events have a written Traffic Management (TM) plan as part of the overall event management plan. The TM plan is a very useful document for everyone involved in managing an event because it identifies traffic risks and actions taken by the promoter to minimise them and provides invaluable information in case of an accident or incident.